An Alteran of Mars
by Cesiumite
Summary: Was Paul Langford really the one who launched the expedition that found the Stargate in 1928? Who funded the expedition? And why is it that every one involved heard whispers of a man called John Carter? John Carter, the Warlord of Barsoom, follows his determined grandson back to Earth in the search for the Astria Porta and finds more than he bargained for.
1. Prologue & Chapter 1: The Search

**Author's Note**

This work was designed as a sequel to the first five books of the John Carter of Mars series which is in the public domain and is a merging of the John Carter of Mars story line with the Stargate SG-1 story line (See the disclaimer below). If you are not familiar with either of these works the author strongly recommends that you view and read them first before reading this story. This story is still under construction and will be updated as new content is completed. The span of the story line will be at least as far as Stargate SG-1 season 3 and will most likely finish up to season 10.

_Disclaimer: The author claims no ownership of the characters and events encompassed in Stargate SG-1. __No copyright infringement is intended and this work is not for monetary gain. __The author also declines responsibility for the actions and words of the characters in this work. _

**Prologue**

\- At the Arizona cave, Earth, 1876

John Carter opened his eyes to pitch blackness. As he became more aware of himself, he realized that he was again wearing the same clothes he had worn before he traveled to Barsoom. When he sat up, they cracked and hung from him in shreds. He took stock of his surroundings and the mouth of a cave beckoned his gaze. The sight that greeted him as he stepped out upon the small ledge at the front of the cave entrance filled him with dismay.

A nearly forgotten heaven and landscape lay before him: the silvered mountains in the distance, the single stationary moon hanging in the sky, and the cacti-studded valley below him were not of Mars. He could hardly believe his eyes, but the truth slowly sank in – he had been returned to Jasoom.

With sorrow and anger he cried out the first thought that entered his mind, "Why?!"

"Because while you have served your purpose in balancing the Martian society and preserving their lives, you were not sent to marry or sire a child in the process, _Exule!_" The voice had originated from behind him. When he turned, he saw a bearded man, dressed in white and cream robes that seemed to glow in the semi-darkness of the starlit night.

"Who are you?", John Carter asked.

"I am the one punished with being your guardian – or more accurately, your prison guard – at least until you are forced to learn some common sense, which doesn't appear to be any time soon." After this statement, the stranger began to turn hazy, and then he seemed to melt into nothing but a shining mass of something resembling an amorphous jellyfish with wispy tentacles lazily streaming in all directions. He, or it, blinked out of existence a moment later.

Alone once more, he rushed back to the cave and searched it thoroughly, desperate to find a way back to his beloved Dejah Thoris. His search revealed the mummified corpse of a little old woman with long black hair. It leaned over a small charcoal burner supporting a round copper bowl filled with a small quantity of greenish powder. At the sight of this, the wisp of vapor he had seen before his journey to Barsoom came to mind. He must have been drugged by the old woman.

Behind her remains, hanging from the ceiling by rawhide thongs and stretching entirely across the cave, was a row of human skeletons. From the rawhide strip that held the skeletons aloft, another strip ran to the dead hand of the old woman. He touched the cord and the skeletons rattled, sounding like the rustle of dry leaves.

None of these discoveries, however, would serve to return him to Barsoom. In his desperation, he called out to the emptiness yet again; "How do I return to Barsoom?"

He heard a quiet chuckle and then a near imperceptible whisper in his ear; "I'll give you a hint to repay a debt you will never remember: _you_ are the key to your own return."

The hint that his 'prison guard' gave him led him to wonder for years how _he _could be the key to his return. Over the coming years he would visit that Arizona cave to scour every crack and crevice of it.

On one such trip in 1884 Jasoomian time, he was again in the cave. He would _not_ lose hope! The walls of the main chamber were rough and uncut; the rear wall, however, was made of seemingly impenetrable, smooth, dark gray stone. He became convinced that this rear wall would be the answer, but it was completely devoid of any mark or change in the smooth surface.

Nothing he attempted could penetrate it, not even dynamite. Today however, he had another idea to try. He had not been deprived of his telepathic abilities and it occurred to him to hurl a thought of command at it to open as he had done to the atmosphere plant.

He hurled the thought at the wall and, to his astonishment, an archway in the stone faded away revealing a room beyond.

As he stepped forward to investigate the room, he took note of a pillar to the right with semi-clear white crystal plates arranged on it, and to the left sat a multilevel platform made of aquamarine crystal and gray metal. An ornate, though not light-weight, chair was at the summit of the platform. Directly ahead, a fifteen-foot obelisk stood. Six feet from its base, a fist sized, many faceted, aquamarine gem was set in its face. Every surface was covered with a thick film of dust and the room smelled of centuries-old mustiness.

The architecture, unlike anything he had yet seen on Barsoom or Jasoom, did bear some resemblance to one or two Jasoomian churches. The tall ribbed columns, the climbing arches interrupted with sharp angles, and the elegance of the craftsmanship all pointed to this, but the style was simply too angular to have been made by the same artist. The fact that there were no seams to be found in the structure convinced him that this place had not been built by any Jasoomian. Every part of it had been carved straight out of the same material as the wall, the same wall that he had not so much as been able to scratch.

John Carter spent the next year studying the contents of that room. When he first touched the small pillar, the crystals on it came to life in such a way that it made him start. They lit up with a bright glow and the whole pillar hummed quietly. The crystals had writing on them. It was not a language he could decipher, though, not unfamiliar. He had seen it once before in the atmosphere plant on Barsoom. The writing was indeed peculiar – very square shaped script with sharp angles and square dots, often resembling braille, though braille did not include straight lines.

He found that if he touched a specific crystal, an orange display would appear out of thin air in front of the pillar. It would show much of the strange text as well as what appeared to be the solar system. While the rest of the display was orange, the planet that he identified as Barsoom was a light blue. He tried hurling a thought at the strange device to command it to send him back to his beloved Barsoom, but to no avail.

His inspection of the chair proved completely fruitless. When he touched it, there was absolutely no response.

That left the obelisk. It stood near the back of the oval room, with an almost foreboding presence. Upon his approach to it the gem planted on the obelisk's surface lit up and glowed as the pillar's crystal plates had.

Entranced by and curious about the strange monolith, John Carter stepped closer, but stopped as a single thought entered his mind. _"What of Edgar and my estate?" _If this was indeed his means of returning to Barsoom and his incomparable Dejah Thoris, he could not simply leave.

The old mine, which he found untouched, had made him fabulously wealthy. If he disappeared, his fortune would likely be taken by the courts as he had not written a will and had no direct descendant or spouse on Jasoom. This, he would have to see to before leaving for his beloved Barsoom.

He returned to his house on the Hudson River in New York, set about writing his will, and saw to it that his vast fortune would be given to his adoptive nephew, Edgar. There was much planning to do and among the multitude of details to work out was how he would stage his 'death'. Eventually, he settled on using a poison to simulate death. This poison that he had chosen, an extract from the plant _Atropa Belladonna, _would make him appear as though he had died of heart failure.

Another important detail was how he would make his way to the device in the Arizona cave once he woke in his tomb. After much deliberation on the subject, he finally came to the conclusion that he must move the table and the obelisk to his tomb in Virginia. A shipping company would be required as the obelisk and the pillar were both large and heavy. He elected to have a secret chamber excavated below his tomb in which to place the obelisk and the table. For nearly ten months he worked on all of these details industriously, including the writing of the manuscript about his Barsoomian adventures which was to be given to his nephew.

After Carter faked his death by heart failure, his body was placed in his Virginian tomb by his adoptive nephew, who then saw to the estate.

Two days later, John Carter stood breathing the thin air of a dying world; the world that he loved more than life.

* * *

**1**

**The Search**

\- Forty years later, in the domain of Helium, Mars, 1926 Earth time

John Carter found himself intrigued. No, perhaps more than intrigued, for he had just found the same type of writing, yet again, that he had seen so many years ago in that Arizona cave. Over the last forty and more years, he had found it in only four other places on Mars. Each time – except one – the meaning of the writing had been very important to the survival of every single Martian.

The first time he had seen it on Mars had been in the atmosphere plant – 1876 Earth time – and even though he did not understand it then, the caretaker seemed to hold the writing in reverent regard.

The second time had been 1884 when he found the transportation device on Earth. That day had indeed been a significant day for him; it marked the start of his return to his beloved Mars.

After his return to Mars in 1886 Earth time, he had gone in search of the caretaker's records. Surprisingly, Carter had been successful in finding them in the atmosphere plant. He spent a great deal of time studying the records and eventually gleaned a decent grasp of the language.

During his quest to free the incomparable Dejah Thoris from the Temple of the Sun, he saw the writing for the third time. Now, however, he had a name for it; Alteran. The writing had been inscribed on a glowing device – square in shape and gray in color – which was mounted to a large table like platform. The inscriptions on it described it as giving health and long life to all Martians. He did not understand exactly what that meant at the time, and it hardly mattered; his focus was on rescuing his beloved Dejah Thoris.

The fourth time he found the writing, however, he knew more about just who these 'Alterans' were. According to various ancient records and legends, they were not of Mars, but had come to Mars to save the Martians from extinction in ancient times. The legends told that the Alterans placed three devices on Mars, one being the atmosphere plant, the second a device to extend the life span of all Martians, and the third, - well, he wasn't completely sure, but the inscriptions referred to some sort of 'illusion' and a protective barrier. Strangely enough, the transportation device was not mentioned in the old legends and records.

It was during his foray into the land of Okar, the land of the yellow men, that he found the fourth Alteran device. It resembled a ribbed pillar, excepting that it broadened at the top with a bulbous set of orange semi-globes. As soon as he touched this device, it lit up and shot an orange beam into the sky, completely baffling him as to its purpose.

Today, the inscriptions were not accompanied with a device and they referred to something called an 'Astria Porta' that seemed to be linked to travel between worlds, but the occasional drawing looked nothing like the transportation device he had discovered forty years ago.

"Grandfather! I found more of the Alteran inscriptions! Come look." Thuvasis, the son of Carthoris and Thuvia of Ptarth, called to him from across the room. They were in the ruins of an ancient city, long abandoned, on the edge of one of the many dead seas. There had been descriptions of a place called 'Terra' where the Alterans settled. To John Carter, Terra sounded eerily similar to Earth.

John Carter walked over to read the inscription that Thuvasis found. "It says that the Astria Porta was placed in Terra as the doorway to many homes or places."

"Let us travel to Jasoom and search for the 'Astria Porta' there," Thuvasis said. "You yourself have said that this 'Terra' sounds like Jasoom."

"You know my thoughts on that, Thuvasis, I will not abandon my family to return to Jasoom again."

"But everything points to Jasoom!"

Indeed, everything did seem to point to Earth, but John Carter was not prepared to accept that. He had found so much on Mars and he believed he would find more. Aside from his family, the study of the Alterans and later the search for the Astria Porta had been his sole focus for nearly thirty years.

John Carter replied stubbornly, "We will not go."

"Are you not the very same John Carter who united the hordes of the green men against Zodanga? Are you not the very same man who returned from the deadly Valley Dor having rescued Thuvia of Ptarth, my mother, from slavery by the infamous Therns? Where has my grandfather, the great John Carter, gone and who is this that has been left in his place that would turn away from so great an adventure? If you will not go, I will!" Thuvasis angrily shouted.

Immediately, the Warlord of Barsoom rose from his crouched position, grabbed Thuvasis by his chest harness, and forced him against the wall with his sword point poised on his grandson's throat. Enraged, he hissed through his teeth, "You do not know what you say! Were you not my grandson, you would not see another day for your words. You know nothing of traveling between worlds and nothing of Jasoom!"

As he spoke, John Carter slowly increased the pressure of his sword against Thuvasis' throat. Thuvasis' eyes widened in alarm and he flinched as the sword point broke his skin, though his anger still boiled within him. When his grandfather finished speaking, a drop of Thuvasis' blood ran down his neck.

Upon seeing the red streak, it was John Carter's turn to widen his eyes in horror as he realized how close he had come to actually harming his errant grandson. He hastily withdrew his sword and stepped back, releasing Thuvasis. "Return to Helium and await me there, I will not tolerate such disrespect."

His anger still clear on his face, though now mixed with the shame of his insolence, Thuvasis turned and climbed to the rooftop that held their fliers. John heard the low hum of Thuvasis' flier moments later.

Stricken by Thuvasis's words, John Carter asked himself when, indeed, had he turned away from a great challenge? He spent the remainder of the day searching the ruins, but his labor was not fruitful. His mind constantly returned to his grandson to ponder the source of their conflict.

Could the Astria Porta truly be on Earth? His sleep that night, in the ruins of the ancient city, was troubled by this question. The ten years he had spent stranded on Earth had left deep scars and he was not willing to risk being separated from his family yet again. All night he struggled with his desire to find the Astria Porta and what he realized was his fear of losing his family.

When the sun rose, flooding the land with light in the manner of all Martian mornings, John Carter rose from his sleeping silks and furs having hardly slept. He mounted his one-man flier and set a course for Helium. There was nothing more for him to find in the dead city.

The journey was quiet and short thanks to the marvelous craft that is the Martian flier.

As he approached Helium, the two great towers unique to the Twin Cities gleamed in the sunshine of Mars, one red and the other yellow. The banner fluttering along the length of his craft, emblazoned with the insignia of the Prince of Helium, identified him as the returning Warlord. Even before he settled his flier on his palace landing platform, a greeting party already awaited him.

Among the officers and servants of his house, some of whom immediately set about making fast his craft, stood his wife, Dejah Thoris. A worried frown creased her lovely face as John Carter stepped forward with the traditional Martian greeting and an adoring smile on his face, "Kaor, my Princess."

He placed his left hand on her right shoulder, as tradition dictated, and then, noticing the frown and the tension in her stance he asked, "What is troubling you?"

"Our grandson has returned to his father's house here in Helium as you commanded." Her expression turned questioning as she finished speaking, "He has not offered an explanation."

At hearing this, all the joy of reuniting with his wife faded to the back of his mind as he was reminded why he had returned to Helium from his searches through the ancient ruins. Thuvasis would have to be punished. "Let's discuss this inside."

During the short walk to John Carter's private study, Dejah looked at her obviously distraught husband questioningly as she tried to fathom what would cause such a schism between him and their grandson.

They had always been close, sharing many interests and traits, among which was her husband's thirst for adventure. Thuvasis had been working on the Alteran research with John for the majority of his young life, fascinated with it and his grandfather's stories of Jasoom from an early age.

As they entered the study, Dejah all but ignored the high arches, the ornate carvings, and the fine furniture that graced it. It was the same throughout their palace, as was the custom for Martian royalty.

The Warlord of Barsoom wearily sank into one of the beautifully crafted chairs. "Thuvasis has disrespected me and accused me of cowardice. He must be punished, but I can't bring myself to punish him as tradition would demand."

Dejah Thoris was astonished and horrified that Thuvasis would do such a thing, to challenge one's superior in such a way was a challenge to a fight to the death on Barsoom. "What were the circumstances of this?!"

John Carter sighed, his brows knit together, and said, "He believes that we must go to Jasoom to find the Astria Porta, we quarreled, and he proclaimed that he would go alone if I did not go. I will not risk being permanently separated from you and our children again."

"He did not do this publicly did he?" Dejah asked, concern for both John and Thuvasis clear in her voice and written across her face. If no one was present at the time, her husband's hand would not be forced.

"No he did not, but I cannot allow him to go unpunished for this." The thought that his grandson had been so foolish both saddened and angered him, but this had been some time coming. Thuvasis had grown more and more impatient to find the mysterious Alteran device over the past few years. The desire for adventure was as strong in him as it was in John Carter himself, the difference between the two being that Carter was far older and more experienced. Not punishing Thuvasis for this would be opening the door for him to do something like this yet again, and possibly in public. He would be forced to do battle with his grandson if that happened.

Dejah understood what her husband meant, but Thuvasis could not be publicly punished either because that would reveal the reason for his punishment. "Then forbid him to study the Alterans any further or entertain the idea of traveling to Jasoom."

"Very well." John Carter agreed with a sigh, but he knew that this would not guarantee that his grandson would not attempt to leave for Earth. He would have a guard placed around the transportation device to prevent Thuvasis from leaving.

After finding the corresponding device on Mars, he had long ago moved it to his palace in Helium. As he called a pair of guards to follow him, he walked to the special chamber that he reserved for the device, and upon arriving he leaped forward with a shouted "Thuvasis!"

There Thuvasis stood, with his hand poised, nearly touching the aquamarine gem on the face of the obelisk. Thuvasis' eyes, the same color as his father's and grandfather's, were as hard as the metal that shared the color, "I said I would go, grandfather, and I will. This is something I must pursue," and with that Thuvasis vanished as his hand touched the gem.

His grandson had planned well. If John Carter had not chosen to place a guard on the room, he would never have known whether Thuvasis had left for Earth or simply left Helium.

Except there was one thing he did not know or take into consideration. To leave one planet and travel to another, you had to touch the device and command it to take you to a specific place on the other world. If you didn't specify a location, there were any number of random places you could be dropped. This was a hard-earned lesson that John Carter had not imparted to his grandson and the reason for his despair upon seeing Thuvasis vanish.

How would he find his grandson out of the sea of people on Earth? The task that now lay before him could take years – years that would be spent away from his wife and family. Nevertheless, he would not and could not leave Thuvasis on Earth without knowing the boy's fate. John Carter _must_ return to Earth.

* * *

Revised 07/06/2019


	2. Chapter 2: The Travelers

**2**

**The Travelers**

\- A Virginian beach, 1926 Jasoomian time, Earth

**T**huvasis awoke to a rushing, roaring, and entirely terrifying sound for a red Martian. Shivering in the cold air, he staggered to his feet, astonished and amazed by the scene before him. A sandy beach ran left and right as far as his eye could see, but directly ahead roared a spectacle that both exhilarated and alarmed him. Huge, gray, rolling, waves of more water than he had ever seen broke on the beach, wave after wave.

He stood and stared in fascination until he realized that his knees were about to buckle. Abruptly, he slumped back down to the sand which led him to further analyze his situation. It was as if a thoat were sitting on his chest – it was difficult to breathe, he felt slightly inebriated, and his whole body felt leaden.

Just before his vision blurred and darkened, Thuvasis arrived at the conclusion that this must be the opposite reaction to that which his grandfather had experienced upon his first arrival on Barsoom. Thuvasis' Barsoomian heart could not keep up with the greater gravity of Jasoom, and when he stood, the blood rushed down and away from his brain. Combined with the effect of breathing such oxygen rich air, he passed out on the beach.

When he slowly returned to consciousness, he became acutely aware that he was covered in some sort of rough cloth which both comforted and seemed to bind him with its weight. Thuvasis opened his eyes to the curious stare of a middle-aged woman who sat in a chair beside his bed.

Her stern but gentle brown eyes searched his face as she said something in the Jasoomian tongue. He had learned a very basic knowledge of the language from his grandfather, but he was far from being conversational and he recognized only one or two of her words. All the same, he replied as best he could in a rasping voice, recognizing that this woman had given him shelter, "Thank you for helping me."

Puzzlement spread over her face – it was obvious that she did not understand him. The woman rose from her seat and left the room where he lay on some sort of raised platform. It was very strange compared to what he had known all his life but, Thuvasis mused, this _was _an entirely different world. The room was roughly the size of a Barsoomian thoat's stall and the walls seemed to be covered in an endless painting of flowers. An open window framed with sheer white curtains let in a slight breeze. Carried on this breeze were some of the most amazing smells he had ever experienced – what he later came to know as the scents of Carolina jasmine, sea grass, and the sea.

Thuvasis' observations were interrupted when the woman returned accompanied by a man near her own age with a hairless head and wearing a strange metal and glass frame over his eyes. The woman resumed her seat and the man stood at her shoulder. She said something to Thuvasis which he interpreted as a request for his name. He replied by gesturing at himself and saying, "Thuvasis". The woman gestured for him to go on and briefly glanced at the man beside her. Thuvasis obliged her by saying that he was the grandson of John Carter. This brought some recognition to their faces, but he saw that it was only the name they recognized, not his speech. The man shook his head in apparent resignation, turned to the woman, spoke a few words, and left the room.

As Thuvasis watched the man turn to leave, he happened to see a young girl peering around the door frame into the room. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second and during that short time, her white face turned nearly as red as his. She promptly spun around and left.

For the next week, the old woman, whose name he learned was Alice DuPont, cared for him and helped him recover from the change in gravity. It seemed that though he was the grandson of John Carter, his body was still ill prepared for the greater gravity of Jasoom. During that time he did not see the girl, Cynthia who, he'd been told, was the adopted daughter of Alice and Pierre DuPont. Pierre was the man he had met on his first morning. Alice also informed him that it was Cynthia who had found him naked and unconscious on the beach.

Alice taught him to better understand their language as well. Having the rudiments already, he learned quickly. By the end of the week, he was able to converse with her in broken sentences. Of course, the DuPonts wanted to know where he came from and who he was, but he chose not to tell them everything. All he divulged was his name, that he was the grandson of John Carter and that he was from a distant place, thereby allowing them to continue in their assumption that he had been shipwrecked.

Thuvasis had taken to walking the beach near the Duponts' cottage and he used this time to plan. Now that he was on Jasoom, he began to understand the monumental task before him. He had no currency, no real idea where the Astria Porta could be found, and he had barely learned the language, but he had an idea to fix that. The Jasoomians appeared to be sadly ignorant of the greater part of the many sciences, and though he was not particularly experienced in any one area, he was sure he could turn a profit by teaching them some of the basics. They didn't even seem to have a grasp of simple polymers!

Looking up from his musings, Thuvasis saw that he was not alone on the beach today. Ahead, walking the same direction, was the girl he'd seen on his first morning, Cynthia. Walking faster to catch up with her, but not so fast as to alert her to his presence, Thuvasis came up beside her and greeted her in the Jasoomian tongue, "Hello."

She jumped and gave a startled gasp before realizing who had approached her. "H..hello, you startled me! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

With an amused smile, Thuvasis replied, still struggling with the language, "But that was my... goal, - I feared you would run... a-way... again."

Her face coloring redder by the second, Cynthia said indignantly, "I did_ not_ run away! I just... had something to attend to." At this, she turned and marched back up the beach, towards the cottage.

With a broad grin, Thuvasis set after her at a slow jog, mindful of his breathing so as to not pass out again in the oxygen rich air of Jasoom. Catching up to her, he said, "You have... 'something to attend to'... now?"

"Yes!" Obviously exasperated, she said, "Now go away!"

Barely keeping the laughter out of his voice, Thuvasis replied, "Very well." and walked into the cottage.

Later that evening and after dinner when Cynthia had hurriedly gulped down her food and excused herself, Thuvasis decided to initiate his plan.

It was the Jasoomians' custom after supper to congregate in their common room to rest, occupying their time with reading, writing, and any number of other simple tasks to keep their hands and minds busy. Having learned from Alice that the DuPonts' main livelihood came from their ownership of a chemical company, Thuvasis chose this time to approach Mr. DuPont with his plan.

After he managed to convey to Pierre that he would like a 'job' to earn money and that he had experience in chemistry (admittedly basic knowledge by Barsoomian standards, but extensive compared to the Jasoomians' level of understanding), he explained to the best of his ability that he had knowledge of many different artificial substances that could be very lucrative. Though skeptical, Pierre DuPont agreed to take Thuvasis to one of their research facilities following his family's vacation on the seashore. That, Thuvasis discovered, was why they were there in the first place.

Satisfied he had accomplished the first step in his plan, Thuvasis retired to his room for the night, only to be tormented by questions of the future; Would he ever be able to return to Barsoom, his home? Where on Jasoom could the Astria Porta be? Would his knowledge of chemistry and technology truly be enough for him to gather enough resources to search for the 'Porta? His sleep was restless, but his resolve was concrete – he _would_ find the Alteran device.

* * *

-In the palace of the Warlord of Barsoom, Helium, Mars

**J**ohn Carter was nearly ready. Over the past two weeks since Thuvasis left he had been planning and preparing for his trip to Earth. Most of that time had been spent in research with Kar Komak and a team of Martian scientists in an attempt to determine if he could travel through the Alteran device _and_ take inanimate things with him. They had a working theory to re-calibrate the device, but it had yet to be tested.

Now, all that remained was to say farewell to his family. They had gathered in the device's vault and as he looked at their faces – his wife Dejah Thoris, his son Carthoris, his daughter-in-law Thuvia, his daughter Tara, his son-in-law Gahan – the reality of it hit him once more. He might not see them again for years to come. Gathering his resolve, John Carter kissed his wife and placed his left hand on each of his children's right shoulders, bidding them all farewell and commanding them to care for each other in his absence.

Turning to the obelisk at the back of the room, he extended his hand and focused on his cottage on the Hudson river, where he expected to find his nephew. As soon as his hand touched the gem, John Carter was no longer on Mars.

When the familiar drowsiness receded John Carter found himself in the grounds surrounding the cottage he had built for himself more than forty Jasoomian years ago. Directly above him was the night sky of the Earth – muted by comparison with that of Barsoom. Taking stock of himself and his surroundings, he saw that he had not been deprived of his weapons and harness after all. Kar Komak's theory had worked to bring inanimate things through! His pistol and sword hung comfortingly at his sides.

He decided that his first order of business would be to find his nephew and prepare for his search for his grandson. That might be a bit of a problem considering his attire, but no matter, he would find suitable clothing for the customs of Earth soon enough.

Entering the house, Carter rounded a corner and came face to face with his nephew who was sitting comfortably in a stuffed chair. "Uncle!" Edgar cried, rising to his feet, "Is that you?!"

Glancing down at himself, Carter replied,"Well, yes, I think it is." Taking Edgar's hand and placing his other on Edgar's shoulder, he smiled to reassure his shocked nephew.

Edgar's astonishment was clear in his expression as he asked, "What are you doing here? It's been many years since you revisited Earth, and never in the trappings of Mars!"

John Carter sighed, recalling his reason for visiting his nephew, and replied somberly, "I am here because my grandson, Thuvasis of Helium, has disobeyed me and come here in search of an ancient machine."

"Your grandson is here on Earth? His nephew asked, his earlier astonishment replaced by curiosity.

"Yes, and I must find him, which brings me to why I am here in particular, other than reuniting with you. Though my fortune is undoubtedly yours now, I will require a fair amount of it to begin my search for Thuvasis." John Carter detested asking for supplies, but riches and loyalty usually could not simply be won through combat and valor as on Mars. Such was the way of Earth, where a complicated scheme of politics, greed, and cowardice ran rampant.

"Of course, but where and how do you expect to find him?" Edgar asked, mentally cataloging a list of people he would need to contact, among which was his banker.

Growing thoughtful, John Carter replied, "Where on Earth? He could be anywhere from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, or even here in New York, but I do know he will be searching for a thing called an 'Astria Porta', perhaps even starting or joining an expedition to search for it if he can. As to how I will find him, shy of a world-wide manhunt, I was considering checking the records and personnel rosters of all the active archaeological digs in the Middle East."

"Why the Middle East in particular?"

That was an interesting question, and John Carter wasn't sure if Edgar was ready for the answer, but he needed his nephew to understand. He replied, "To explain that, I'll need to give you a bit of a history lesson. As you know, I have always been an avid student of the ancient cultures of Mars and have studied them whenever I had the opportunity. In this, Thuvasis and I are very much alike.

Now, among the other races and cultures of Mars I described in my manuscript and notes, there were two others that I do not believe were native to Mars. One, much older than the other appears to date back to the time when the seas began to dry up. These people were known as the Alterans, the builders of the device Thuvasis seeks after, as well as the one that currently allows me to travel between worlds. The other, younger, race seems to have disappeared only about four to five thousand years ago, a short time on Mars. I've been able to uncover very little about this race, however, since their very existence seems to have been buried by both the red and green men, but one massive monument to their culture remains in the shape of a pyramid. And here is the answer to your question; Thuvasis and I found paintings in that huge construct of the very machine the Alterans had described, the Astria Porta, and it was our belief that this younger race used the Astria Porta after the Alterans were gone. As soon as Thuvasis hears of the Egyptian pyramids, he will want to investigate."

"I see what you mean by the history lesson," Edgar muttered thoughtfully. They were silent for a moment as Edgar considered what John Carter said, and then it was as if a light bulb lit up above his head as he asked, "Maybe... starting an expedition to the great pyramids in Egypt yourself would locate him faster?" As he spoke, a sly smile slowly drew itself across his face, "Like a moth to a flame."

This question brought a stern frown to John Carter's expression – deception was not something he was wont to practice but this plan would be almost certain to lure, his grandson. And then there was that nagging thought at the back of his mind; Could the Astria Porta truly be here on Earth? Following Edgar's suggestion just might kill two soraks with one stone, so to speak. Slowly nodding, he replied, "I see your point very well, but no one involved may know who I really am lest Thuvasis hear of it. I will need a liaison to lead the expedition. Do you know of anyone well enough versed in archeology to do so?"

"I have someone in mind." Edgar replied. "Your manuscript introduced me to an entirely new field of study, though you never did tell me where exactly that cave was that you found . . ." His raised eyebrow making the underlying question clearer.

Chuckling, his uncle said, "And that, my nephew, will continue to be a mystery. Come, let's contact these friends of yours." John Carter said, moving towards the door.

Almost frantically Edgar called out, "Wait! You can't go about like that; they'd think you a madman. Let me get you some clothes."

Chuckling, John Carter replied, "I guess you're right, but are you sure that wouldn't be a good thing?"

"No, I'm sure it would not." Edgar said dryly. "Come with me and I'll see if I have something that fits."

John Carter just nodded – still grinning – and followed his nephew.

An hour later and after he had been properly fitted with a suit and necktie – as was the custom for a gentleman of Earth – Edgar was dialing the telephone. "Paul? Yes, this is Ed. Listen, I have someone I'd like you to meet. Could you meet us here at my house? Tomorrow afternoon? Yes that's fine, I'll see you then. Okay, goodbye." Hanging up the phone and turning to his uncle, Edgar said, "That was Paul Langford, he's spent a great deal of time studying ancient Egyptian history and artifacts. I believe he will be an excellent figurehead and ally for our venture."

In the morning the gentle breath of dawn blew against the window panes as John Carter dressed himself in his earthly clothes. His Martian harness, adorned with the devices of Helium and his rank, and cradling his short sword and pistol within their sheaths, lay on the dresser in the corner of his room. He would have to forsake them today, and many days to come, until he made his return to Mars. He tore his mind away from the symbols of his longing, finished dressing, and put the final touches on his necktie musing about how restraining and choking it felt to wear one once again.

He spent most of the morning and the early part of the afternoon planning and discussing logistics with Edgar, and by the time they heard a knock on the door, Edgar's mental list had been written down and tripled in length.

Grateful for the respite, Edgar rose from his seat in the common room and went to answer the door. John Carter heard through the hallway, "Paul, welcome, come join us in the living room." As they came around the corner and entered the common room, he studied the man before him. A middle-aged man, perhaps in his fifties or sixties, Paul had a neatly-trimmed white mustache, combed white hair, and was dressed in a light brown suit and wore round spectacles.

His nephew made the introductions, "Paul, this is John Carter. John, this is Professor Paul Langford." Rising to greet Paul, Carter extended his hand in the traditional greeting of Earth and the professor shook it hesitantly.

Looking back at Edgar, Paul said skeptically, "John Carter, as in the John Carter in your novels?"

"Erm... not quite." Edgar and John Carter had agreed that not even his liaison could know the manuscript was true, much less that he was _the_ John Carter. Replying a little sheepishly, Edgar said, "You see, this is John Carter, my cousin. I named the character in my novels after him."

Paul chuckled at Edgar's response and said, "Ah, so aside from his being your cousin, why did you want me to meet him?"

Taking this as his cue to rejoin the conversation, John Carter replied, "Because I have an offer for you; I am funding an expedition to Giza, Egypt, to find this." Handing a rough sketch of the Astria Porta to Paul, he continued, "I need someone who knows the area and people to head it up."

Sitting down on the nearby couch and furrowing his brow, Paul asked, "Why do you expect to find this in Giza? It doesn't look even remotely Egyptian. What is it?"

Sitting as well, John Carter said, "It is called an Astria Porta. I've been studying ancient writings and drawings of it for many years now and what I've found points to the pyramids in Giza."

Paul mused aloud, "_A doorway to the stars_..." Then, his eyes shining with curiosity, he said, "Latin? It doesn't look Roman either. Show me what you've found."

Sighing with genuine regret for having to withhold the truth, John Carter replied, "I can't. The evidence simply isn't accessible to show you, but if you agree to my offer, any other artifacts you find will be yours and all expenses will be paid."

Though a glimmer of doubt flickered in the back of his mind, Paul realized that this was _the_ chance he had been waiting for! He had wanted to launch just such an expedition for years now, but his income teaching at the college simply wasn't enough, especially with a wife and a three-year-old daughter to provide for. "I'll agree to your offer on one condition; that I can bring my family with me."

Smiling, John Carter understood Paul's request completely. "Done." They shook hands and the deal was struck. Little did Paul Langford know that he was shaking hands with a man who was a prince of Helium and the Warlord of Barsoom.

* * *

Revised 07/06/2019


End file.
